


A Home For Christmas

by MsCashew



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Douglas' Daughters Like Martin A Whole Bunch, Fandot Secret Santa, Fandot Secret Santa 2017, Fluff, M/M, Martin's Spending Christmas with the Richardsons, marlas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 18:19:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13277193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsCashew/pseuds/MsCashew
Summary: My Fandot Secret Santa gift for Linguini, in which Douglas asks Martin to spend the holidays with him and his daughters, hooray!  ❤





	A Home For Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Linguini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linguini/gifts).



> My Fandot Secret Santa gift for Linguini, hooray! I do so hope you like it, dear Linguini. ❤

The car interior was warm, Christmas music their soundtrack, playing softly as they rode along the quiet road.

It was a lovely atmosphere as they went along, Douglas listening with a grin as his younger daughter Hannah occupied the back seat of his Lexus, regaling him with the first half of the nativity that he unfortunately missed.

“You pushed Joseph off the stage?”

“No! As a sheep, I ‘butted’ him off the stage!”

Douglas couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh,

“Why in the world did you do that, sweetheart?” He manages to say between his laughing.

“It was the sheeps turn to speak! He wouldn’t stop!”

“I don’t know if that warrants a shove off the stage.” He’s still grinning.

“It did. I was standing up for my fellow sheep.” Hannah harumphs, Douglas chuckling low.

“Well, if you were standing up for your sheep friends. . .” He smiles at her in the rearview mirror, she absolutely grinning in triumph,

“You caught all that on your phone, right, dear?” He asks Verity, the young teen looking at said phone.

“ ‘Course I did, dad.” She smiles herself, laying the phone in her lap, smiling wider at Douglas.

“We’ll have to watch that after supper. I’m sure Martin would love to see your performance as well, Hannah.”

“Yes!” the nine year old agrees, swinging her legs happily.

“He should be arriving at the old homestead right about now, actually.”

“I thought we were picking him up on the way home?” Verity asks

“That was the plan, yes. But we arrived back so late from our flight, we decided it would make more sense for Martin to drive himself after he picked up a few things from his place. So we wouldn’t have to backtrack.”

“Sooo. . .” Verity starts, Douglas cocking an eyebrow at her, “Martin has a key, then?”

“Yes. I gave Martin a key a couple months ago.”

“Hmm, interesting. . .” Verity murmurs, going back to her phone, Douglas’ cocked eyebrow raising further.

“What are you-”

“Dad!” Hannah interrupts before Douglas can question his older daughter, “Do you think Martin will open my present for our one present tonight?”

“Hm? Well, I think he’ll have to with our tradition. And if he wants, he can open another small present along with yours.” He gives her a quick smile in the rear view mirror, eyes swiftly going back to the road.

“Can I open my biggest present?” she asks more than sweetly, Douglas chuckling once more.

“Big presents are for Christmas day, you know that.”

“I knooow.” She sighs.

They ride in comfortable silence for a little while, the jingle jangle from the radio making Douglas tap his fingers on the wheel, keeping the beat, wearing a small smile the whole while.

“Martin’s excited to spend Christmas with us,” Douglas starts, not being able to admit to anyone that he still had the tiniest flutter in his chest about having Martin over for the holidays, “Do you think he’ll survive you two?” He jokes, hearing a giggle in the back.

“Dad!” Hannah exclaims happily, giggling.

“We’re not that bad, dad.” Verity sticks her tongue out, Douglas shaking his head.

“I don’t know. Sometimes, even _I_ don’t know how I survive you two.” They both giggle at Douglas’ teasing, they chatting about this and that, how school was, how home was- how their brand new kitten was getting on (Hannah already had the little puff ball of a thing sleeping with her). . . Douglas missed this. Just being able to hear his girls prattle on excitedly about everything. He was thrilled that they were spending Christmas with him, with his partner, that they could all just spend time together, and hopefully, be able to spend more time together after the holidays.

“Now when we get home,” Douglas speaks up after a while during a lull in the conversation, “Please, would you put your bags in your room and not just on the floor in the doorway?”

“Yes dad.” They answer in unison, Hannah being slightly more loud.

“And where do your coats go?”

“On the hooks by the door.” Verity replies.

“Is it because Martin twisted his ankle last time?” came the loud thought from the back, Douglas lightly snorting, not believing his beau nearly broke his ankle tripping over his girls things.

“Kind of,” He replies with a smile, “He just gets a titch. . .Clumsy,” He decides to answer, “You’ll have to really help him when we finish decorating the tree.”

“You didn’t finish?” Verity asks.

“Martin and I put the lights up, and a few baubles, but he thought you two would like to hang the tinsel and put the star on top.”

“Can I put the star on?!” Hannah exclaims, bouncing with seeable excitement, making Douglas chuckle.

“Of course you can. We’ll do that, have supper, and then watch a Christmas movie or two with some hot chocolate. Does that sound alright?”

“Yes!”

“Very.”

“Good. Our usual on Christmas and Boxing day, then it’s Carolyn’s party the day after that. . . We’ll be busy.”

“And Martin’s staying throughout all of it?” Douglas glances at Verity, eyes moving back to the road quickly.

“That was the plan, yes. We discussed this, love.”

“Just making sure. . .” Verity murmurs, watching her phone closely once more, staying silent for but a moment,

“Is he staying until New Years?” She asks, not looking up from her phone.

“. . . If he wants to. We were talking a bit about it. . . He may go home at one point for a little bit, I’m not sure. . .”

Douglas stays silent for a minute, eyes glancing back and forth between her and the road. . .

“You’re serious about Martin.” She says out of the blue, not being a question, just simply stating a fact.

“Yes. Of course I am. I wouldn’t have asked him to spend the holidays with us if I wasn’t.”

Long seconds move by as they drive along, Douglas’ shoulders slumping at the semi comfortable silence.

“Here’s the thing," Verity jumps in without preamble, gesturing about as she did, “You’ve been with Martin for how long? Barely even a year. You’re about to ask him to move in-”

“How do you know that?” Douglas interrupts her, giving her a quick sideways glance.

“I may have overheard mum in the kitchen while looking for my jumper near by in the living room. . .”

“Of course you did.” Douglas sighs, sometimes wishing his girls didn’t have his cunning.

“You’re about to ask him to move in with you,” Verity repeats, an outright Richardson stare coming right at Douglas, quickly overcome with a smirk, “I guess what I’m saying is, when are you going to make an honest man out of Martin?”

“Yeah, dad, when?” Hannah speaks up from the back, giggling away at the surprised look Douglas had given her from his mirror.

“Do you even have any clue what that means?”

“He’s fibbing to his mum?”

“That’s what I thought,” he gruffs, Hannah giggling even more, “How did we even get on this subject? Why are you so interested in my longevity with Martin so suddenly? You know I love him, darling. I adore him. I want to be with him for as long as he’ll have me, whether that involves marriage or not.”

A moment of silence passes over the car, the reminder of the soft Christmas music playing from the radio almost seeming like a roar.

“. . . I don’t know,” Verity finally mutters, Douglas looking over once more, finding her picking at her coat sleave, “I mean, Helena was nice, and treated us very well, but. . . I like Martin. A whole lot. I want him around for a long time.”

“Really?” Douglas wonders, slightly surprised.

“Yeah. . . Actually, I think he’d make a really good step dad.”

“. . .Huh,” Was what all Douglas could think to say, not being his most intelligent moment,

“What about you, back there? What are your thoughts?” Douglas asks after a long moment, looking back again at Hannah through his mirror.

“Can I call Martin captain dad?”

Douglas just snorts, grinning at his daughter, “He may like that.”

* * *

Soon, they were pulling in on the long driveway, Douglas spotting Martin’s van parked right next to where he parked his Lexus, he deciding he very much liked the sight.

In no time, they were parking, Douglas popping open the boot of the car to grab the girls bags right before turning off the engine.

Right as he was leaving his car; Martin pops out the door, not wearing his coat, waving at them as he jogs over.

“Martin!” Both girls cry in unison, both hugging him tight as he reaches them.

“Hey! Happy to see you as well. Happy Christmas!” He exclaims, a nervous twinge hidden within, his cheeks flushing as both were hugging him.

“Where’s your coat?” Douglas asks, wrapping an arm around him, kissing his cheek, both girls giggling at the gesture, Martin flushing deeper.

“I-I thought I’d just run out and, and help. That is, if you needed any?” He wonders as Verity and Hannah pick their bags from the boot.

“Possibly. You can start by returning my kiss?” Douglas teases as he holds his cheek out, Martin still flushing with a wide smile. Reaching up, he kisses Douglas more on the corner of his mouth, Douglas humming in appreciation, both girls giggling once more,

“I think we have it all. But thank you, mon amour,” He pecks Martin’s lips, Martin being bold; goes on his tip toes, giving Douglas a more proper kiss,

“Hmm, lovely,” Douglas hums, “Now, before you catch your death; inside with you, all of you, hurry, go, go, go.” He herds them inside to the warmth, only one coat not ending up on the hook.

Douglas just gives a look at the girls retreating to their room to put their things away, hanging the garment up himself, shaking his head lightly as he does.

“Sorry for being a bit late, darling,” Douglas begins, following Martin into the kitchen, “I had to go to Mary’s to grab a couple things Hannah forgot, one thing being her rabbit. She wouldn’t, nay, couldn’t go without the old thing.”

“It’s more than fine,” came the response before Douglas made it, “I just, just did a few things around here.”

“You did?” Douglas wonders, the aroma of a roasted bird wafting all around him as he enters the cozy kitchen.

“Yeah. Basted the turkey a few times, got the potatoes in the water to cook for mash, and, and was about to get the veg in the oven to roast.”

Douglas looks about, slightly surprised at all that had been done. Granted, Martin had fiddled around the house when Douglas had to run a few errands here and there. It was more. . .

It was more just nice to come home to find your partner working on what you started. Like good partners do, helping one another, helping the other cook. That sort of thing.

It was rather domestic in a way.

Douglas liked it very much.

Martin soon tosses the veg in the oven, washing his hands after. Such a loving feeling washes over Douglas, not helping himself; he wanders behind Martin, wrapping his arms tight around Martin’s slim figure, pecking at the freckly neck, making Martin chuckle.

“Douglas!”

“Yes, love?”

“That tickles!”

“I know.” He chuckles against his skin, making Martin laugh low, leaning into Douglas’ embrace, hands resting on Douglas’ arms.

They remain like that for a long moment, the calm only being interrupted by the stomping above them, followed by loud laughter.

“Do you think. . .” Martin pauses, Douglas being able to catch Martin biting his lip lightly from his peripheral vision, “Is. . . Is this okay? Me, me staying for Christmas?”

“Of course it is, love.”

“I just. . . I don’t want to step on any toes, I don’t want to intrude on Verity and Hannah’s holiday with their dad.”

“You aren’t. They’re more than excited that you’re staying.”

Martin breaths a heavy sigh, his weight leaning more heavily against Douglas,

“. . .They’re as mad as you, Douglas,” Douglas grins at this, knowing Martin meant this as the highest compliment, “I adore them. I just want them to have a good Christmas.”

“They will, love. Trust me, they will.” He reassures in a loving hush, placing the softest kiss on Martin’s lips before helping to complete Christmas Eve dinner.

* * *

The evening goes on as planned.

They finish up with making dinner, Verity and Hannah helping in making the table up nice in reds and greens. They eat, talk, laugh, just have a lovely time all around, Douglas taking notice that Martin was relaxing more and more as the evening wore on, looking to be not as worried that he may be invading the holidays.

Soon after supper; they gather around the tree, Douglas handing out tinsel to both girls, handing Martin another couple of baubles, he taking a bell or two, the decorations going up without a hitch. Though somehow, some tinsel ending up in both Hannah and Martin’s hair.

Not too long into it; Douglas is lifting Hannah (trying to hide a grunt as he did so), so she could put the star right on top.

She does so, proclaiming it all to be done, Douglas placing her down with a thankful, tired huff. As he did though, he spots Martin with the tiniest smirk, giving him the littlest glare in order to say, _‘Don’t you dare say a word about my huffing and puffing’._

So came the tradition in the evening of Douglas handing out new pyjamas to his girls, he having a set himself.

He notices Martin standing slightly back, looking to be worried once again of invading a Richardson moment.

“Hannah, I think Martin needs to open your gift just a little early.”

“Oh right!” She gasps, diving under the tree to grab the package she had set there earlier,

“Martin! Open my present, please, please, please?!"

“Oh. Um, alright." Martin says softly, flushing the lightest shade of red, carefully ripping the snowflake filled paper, the little girl before him bouncing in clear excitement,

“. . . Oh! Oh my. . .”

What Martin found were pyjamas. Douglas knew, as he had gone about with the girls shopping for some Christmas odds and ends. Soft pyjamas, littered with aeroplanes all around on the bottoms, with just one of those planes on the left of the chest on the top. Douglas just puts his chin on Martin’s shoulder, looking down with a large smile at the new sleep wear.

“Do you like them?!” Hannah asks excitedly.

“Hannah was worried I wasn’t going to get you Christmas Eve pyjamas,” Douglas murmurs in Martin’s ear, “I reassured her, but she was insistent. Just in case I would forget.”

“. . . I love them,” Martin sounds like he’s going to cry, coughing in seeming to try and hide that fact, “Thank you, Hannah.”

She does a little ‘whoop!’ of joy, bounding in to hug Martin tight, he hugging just as tight back. . .

* * *

Everyone having changed into their PJs; they all open their one gift for Christmas eve (Martin getting to open one more other than his pyjamas), Douglas soon making a small fire in the hearth afterwards as Martin sorts out the show they would be watching.

With the fire going and the girls discussing which movie they would be putting on; Douglas in no time makes them all hot chocolate, passing it all around, first to Verity and Hannah (whom had made a home on the floor with plenty of pillows and a blanket or two). Then, setting his and Martin’s hot drinks down first; he sits himself close to Martin, the ginger curling close in a nice cuddle, a small, shy smile placed on his face as he does so.

This was more than Douglas could have possibly imagined.

* * *

“Do you think we should wake them?” Martin murmurs a third into the movie, referring to both girls having fallen asleep in their pile of pillows and blankets. Douglas chuckling, finding Martin curling further into Douglas, his own blanket sliding down slightly from his shoulder.

“Mmm. . . We can let them be for a while still.” Douglas hums, stealing some of the blanket for himself, nuzzling into Martin’s curls, feeling rather than hearing Martin sigh in content.

“I was hoping you’d say something like that. I-I didn’t really want to get up anytime soon.” Martin flushes, Douglas grinning, kissing the top of Martin head, Martin soon looking up to give Douglas a proper kiss.

They stay like that for a little while, the movie mostly forgotten, Douglas enjoying the warmth, the crackling of the fire.

It was heaven.

“. . . Thank you.” Martin softly says after a while, Douglas nearly not catching it.

“What for, mon amour?”

“For, for this. For inviting me for Christmas. This has been, well, brilliant.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I like having you here.”

“I like being here.” He responds with a grin, a light flush coming over his speckled cheeks at his words.

“Do you, now?”

“Very much so.”

The comfortable silence lasts for a long while, Douglas just carding his fingers gently through Martin’s curls, Martin relaxing to the point of near dozing off. That is until Douglas murmurs a question,

“Move in with me?”

“Pardon?” Martin asks, Douglas feeling Martin lightly tense.

“Martin. I love you, my girls adore you. I want you to move in with me. I want us to start making a life together.”

“. . . Really? With, with me?”

“Do you know of any other neurotic airdot captains with ridiculous ginger hair? Or course you, darling.”

“I just. . .I didn’t think you’d ever. . .Ask me something like this.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I. . .Well. I guess I’m not really sure. We’ve only been together a year, and, and you’ve had three divorces. I thought maybe. . . Maybe you wouldn’t want to have that level of commitment,” Douglas just about interrupts him, when Martin gets the better of Douglas himself, “And no, I know you love me, Douglas, I know I’m not just some fling that you’re stringing along. I’ve just thought that maybe you would always want to be. . .Apart. I know this sounds ridiculous, but-”

“No, I think I know what you mean,” Douglas is successful in his interruption this time, laying his head on Martin’s, hugging him tighter to his self, “I do love you, and I want to share more of my life with you, one means of you living with me.”

“So you, you really want me to move in? With, with you?”

“Yes.”

“. . . Okay.” Martin rushes out, Douglas cocking an eyebrow at him, a grin taking over.

“Okay?” Douglas goes to clarify, his partner turning, looking him in his eyes with a loving grin of his own.

“Okay. Yes. I would love to move in with you.”

Douglas smiles adoringly at him before only answering him with a long, loving kiss, they soon going back to their snuggling. Soft little thoughts of this and that being shared with one another as the fire continues to crackle away, as Verity and Hannah continue to snooze on, and just as a light snow begins to fall outside of their loving home.

**Author's Note:**

> And there we be, yay! UwU ❤
> 
> I hope this was okay, and I'm terribly sorry it's late. D: There is a little fanart that's meant to go with this, but I thought, "I have the fic portion done, I will post said fic and edit later to include the art", I hope that's okay. ❤  
> (For reference, I always picture Douglas had his daughters with his second wife, and Verity and Hannah are about five years apart, and Douglas and his wife are still friends ((as to why she didn't get super angry about the sweets missile ;P ❤)) and. . . yes. :)   
> Also, I don't know why, but I always imagine Douglas having a little home/cottage just outside Fitton after his divorce with Helena. Don't know why, but I just do ;D ❤).
> 
> But there we be. I do so hope you all enjoy, and you enjoy it as well, Linguini. ❤


End file.
